


the light at the end of it all

by littlelooneyluna



Series: when your demons become mine too [1]
Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Alcoholism, Anniversary, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, alternative universe, happier times, reflecting on the past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 12:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12770874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/pseuds/littlelooneyluna
Summary: robert celebrates three years of being sober, with his boyfriend by his side.





	the light at the end of it all

**Author's Note:**

> based on a tumblr prompt, hope you enjoy :)

The light streams into the room, and Robert's eyes flicker open delicately. He's got Aaron's arm thrown over him lazily and it's cutting off the blood flow through his right arm but he doesn't seem to care.

Because Aaron always looks the best when he's like this, completely at peace.  
  
It makes Robert nuzzle his head towards him and he can't help the way he has this urge to wake him up, like he's some giddy teenager.

And then,

The feeling seems to leave him and he doesn't know why for a second, but then his brain catches up with his heart and he uncovers what day it is today.

He's lasted a full three years without touching alcohol.

It's a triumph, a massive one considering the fact that he's spent most of his life dependant on the thing that caused him the most pain. It was all dark for the longest time, the very longest time.

And then he was passing out, in hospital, and this man was looming over him wearing a grey jumper and a soft smile.

It was Aaron who changed everything, made Robert feel like he had someone.

He wasn't a therapist or anything. He was just from a charity, wanted to help for some odd reason.

"You don't seem that much older than me." Aaron had said, bit his lip. "I saw you get wheeled in and -"

"You usually just plonk yourself in loser's rooms and wait for them to wake up?"

Aaron's eyes widened and Robert felt awful suddenly, didn't take it back though. He waited it out, had his eyes on Aaron's blue ones and didn't know why he felt like his heart was beating out of his chest.

Aaron stood suddenly, cleared his throat and Robert didn't want him to go. He really didn't because he didn't have anyone else did he?

"A friend of mine from my village runs a few sessions in the local hall." Aaron scratched at his eyebrow. "Her name's Laurel. She was a -"

"I'm not an alcoholic." Robert blurted out, knew deep down he was lying to himself. "I'm just bored, I'm just -" because he doesn't have a job, he doesn't have someone to go home to, his family were fucking ridiculous with him and so he drank.

And he's always done it, since he was young, since he was disowned by his father.

He'd just drink, just drink and drink until everything was numb and he didn't have to worry about how lonely he was.

Aaron nodded his head and then passed over a little poster advertising for the meeting. "My name's Aaron's." He said awkwardly and Robert felt his heart tug. "I - yeah sorry for disturbing you."

"Don't be." Robert said softly, meant it.

Now, Aaron's nose is twitching and Robert shivers as he feels the younger man blink his eyes open and smile at him.

It's the same one he smiled when he showed up at the village hall two weeks later.

"You actually came?" Aaron smiled out, looked like he was ridiculously proud of a flipping stranger.

Robert nodded, because yeah, he didn't want to but it sort of made sense considering he was running out of money, spending it all on booze.

"Come in then." Aaron said eagerly, so fucking eagerly that he nearly held Robert's hand and then he was blushing hard. "Sorry." He said, and Robert didn't want him to be all of a sudden.

"Morning." Aaron says now, voice soft, filled with a gentle ease. "God, have you just been staring at me." It's not even a question, just a statement Robert is forced to smile at.

"Maybe I have." Robert shrugs out, and then Aaron's got a hand on his waist and he's pressing their bodies together.

The touch, the sensitivity, it makes Robert think back to when they first touched like that.

It was raining, and Robert was holding a bottle of something and Aaron was telling him not to drink it.

"Why? I went to those shitty sessions and it didn't help." Robert snapped.

"It will!" Aaron screamed back. "Just - just give it a chance, I promise I -"

"Why do you even care?" And it was a good question because Aaron was just supporting him, held his hand last time he opened up in front of Laurel and the others. He'd make sure he got himself safely and had enough money for food and it was going far beyond a charity worker doing good by his community

And he didn't know what his deal was.

"I just do!" And the rain was crashing down now, making Robert want to turn and run somehow, neck the whole thing back.

"Leave me alone Aaron, you don't have to pretend to care."

And then he said something which made Robert find it hard to breathe.

"I care more than I should." Aaron shouted over the sound of the rain. "Because - because I'm really falling for ya and I want to help you through this."

It made Robert drop the bottle to the floor, and maybe it was symbolic of something but didn't think about it too much because the next thing he knew, Aaron was kissing him gently on the lips and Robert was feeling everything else fall away.

Robert looks deep in thought now and Aaron gulps, frowns a little.

"I haven't forgotten what happened today." Aaron whispers, snakes a hand right up to Robert's chest and feels his heart beat.

He does that a lot.

Robert doesn't like to think he's checking if he's still alive, because it makes him feel guilty for Aaron loving such a loser.

The type of loser who gave in three months into being with Aaron, drunk himself silly for a reason he hardly knew and ended up being sick all over Aaron's shoes.

Only got a:

"You're lucky they were old ones." As Aaron hugged at his chest and didn't judge him.

Not once.

"I know how special it is, I know what it means. You know that right?" Aaron's saying, and Robert just nods his head silently.

"Three years."

Three years since he stopped drinking, three years since Aaron told him he was loved, so loved and it'd be okay.

Three whole years.

Aaron bites his lip. "I'm so proud of you." He shudders, has hands coming up to cup Robert's face. "You're just -"

"I wouldn't have been here without your help though would I?" Robert tells him suddenly, "I hate to think about what would have happened if I didn't wake up to see you staring down at me with a smile on your face."

And Aaron looks shaken. "Don't then." He smiles out nervously and then Robert's kissing his hand and the bed is soft and warm. "We should do something." He says lazily. "I've got the day off, and so have you."

Robert thinks about his steady fucking job and smiles because, how did that happen?

"What do you reckon?" Aaron asks then smiles. "Liv's out with her mate so you don't need to worry." He teases and Robert rolls his eyes playfully because Aaron's mardy sister burst into his life a few months ago and he doesn't know how to feel about her yet.

She doesn't like him, thinks he gives her brother grief and they've decided that she doesn't need to know about his alcoholism.

So she just thinks he's some health expert and that makes him even more popular, not.

"She'll love you one day." Aaron mumbles and then Robert thinks about what they can do today.

"I don't want to do anything showy."

Aaron scoffs. "Course not. I was thinking a movie marathon of all that Star Trek stuff you like."

"Star _Wars_." Robert tells him, smiles and pinches Aaron's side and then -

Aaron's kissing him.

And they're smiling.

"You're saying you wouldn't mind?" Robert says, knows that Aaron hates Si-Fi really, he knew that from the early days when Aaron would come with him to Laurel's sessions (the ones he still goes to twice a month)

"As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” Aaron shrugs out, so effortlessly, so full of this natural inclination to do good by others.

And he had done, by Robert. He'd saved a broken soul, made him hope for the future, hope for something _more_.

Robert's eyes flicker. "Happy?" He says, and then he's feeling proud of himself for stopping with the drink, resisting it time and time again because of _Aaron_ , and their relationship and for _Vic_ and for - for himself _too_. "I'm happy." He confirms and Aaron smiles. "I love you." He whispers, face buried into Aaron's. "You'll never know how much I -"

"Neither will you." And it's because Aaron had demons too, ones Robert helped handle, and -

Maybe they saved each other.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you thought if/when you have the time!


End file.
